In 1838, real estate agent Thomas Hutter journeys to Transylvania from Wisborg, Germany for a crucial meeting with Count Orlok, a recluse looking to buy a ruined piece of property within Wisborg. While he is away, Hutter’s troubled wife, Ellen, stays with their friends, Friedrich and Anna Harding. As unsettling visions and a growing sense of terror consume her, Ellen finds herself possessed by an evil, familiar presence.
Nosferatu reimagines F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent film, blending gothic horror with haunting visuals and an atmosphere thick with dread. Director Robert Eggers is known for psychological horror, and the movie is dripping with themes of isolation and the weight of one’s doomed fate. Set against the backdrop of a decaying European landscape, Eggers and cinematographer Jarin Blaschke never allow the audience to breathe. While every scene is visually stunning, it’s also designed to make its audience uncomfortable. There is minimal lighting beyond the dimness of a fire or candle, and I found myself holding my breath more than a few times, trying to peer into the darkness at what might be waiting. As engrossed as I was in the movie, I marveled at how gorgeous it was to look at.
Bill Skarsgard is utterly unrecognizable as Count Orlock, but he gives a commanding performance. Orlock is a decaying corpse with a reverberating voice, living off of blood and obsession, and Eggers keeps him awash in shadow, rarely showing the audience the full monstrosity. But we have the instant trepidation of Nicholas Hoult’s Thomas, who is forced into the Count’s company to understand just how terrifying the vampire is. The longer he is within Orlock’s castle, the further he is from Ellen and his own sanity. He’s desperate to leave, but Orlock’s castle is a labyrinth of open windows and locked doors. It mirrors Orlock’s grasp on Ellen’s mind, but while Ellen finds Orlock repulsive, she is seduced by him as well.
The fated “romance” between Ellen and Orlock is something akin to a macabre Romeo and Juliet, but lacking in innocence and naivety. As incredible as the entire cast is, Lily Rose-Depp is the standout. She gives an unsettling performance as Ellen. Plagued with visions since she was a child, Ellen is fearful of losing control over her mind and body. She is a character who is strong in her agency, yet she knows she’s unable to escape the dark forces surrounding her, and Depp embraces both the emotional and physical challenges of such a role with ease.
Fans of the 1922 silent classic will recognize the changes Eggers brought to the remake. It’s well known that Nosferatu was an unauthorized remake of Bram Stoker’s Dracula with some minor changes. Eggers embraces this and further merges the two pieces of work, creating a more fully realized story.
For me, the only downside of Nosferatu was Herr Knock – Thomas’s employer and Orlock’s loyal servant. Based on Dracula’s Renfield, Knock is designed to repulse with his mad ravings and eating of live animals. Renfield himself is a fascinating character, but ultimately, I felt the role of Knock was superfluous, as he did nothing of note beyond sending Hutton to Orlock’s castle. But that’s more or less just a minor quibble in the midst of what is arguably Eggers’ best film to date.
For anyone looking for a briskly paced horror film, this is not for you. But if you love gothic horror, then Nosferatu is a must-watch. It’s a slow burn of dread and tension, sustaining fear with disquieting performances and an ending that will no doubt polarize. It’s a rarity when a remake is better than the original, but Robert Eggers may just have pulled it off.
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